Front Page Comment


It has been exactly sixty days since the passing to glory of former president John Evan Atta Mills, and as the nation inches closer to the crucial 7th December elections, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) would have to guard against tendencies likely to incur the curse of the late president.
President John Atta Mills, until his untimely death on the 24th of July this year, had unwaveringly kept faith with the NDC to the peril of his life, and indeed, he died whiles performing duties of state to ensure his beloved party in government, the NDC, not only survive, but maintain power.
The celebrated professor of law has since the year 1996, when he was first persuaded to join the NDC ticket for that year’s crucial presidential election as President Rawlings’ running mate, through the years 2000 and 2004, as unsuccessful flagbearer of the party and until he finally led the party to form government after the sweet but hard victory over NPP in the 2008 polls, has not only change the face of NDC, but indeed worked tirelessly to position the party and government in a possible situation of winning the upcoming elections.
The late professor Mill was hounded, ridiculed and insulted by both the opposition and from within his own party and became the most vilified President in Ghana’s political history, all just for the sake of the NDC.
This is notwithstanding the tremendous successes he led his party and government to have achieved in a relatively short period of forty-three months. Some of these achievements, gargantuan as they maybe; have since become unprecedented feats in Ghana’s political history.
And, it is based on these chalked accomplishments the NDC would be relying upon, going into the crucial 7th December election as President John Mahama, has himself, severally indicated. In effect, the NDC hope to win the elections on the good records of the Mills administration.
However, a disturbing phenomenon which may not be closely observed by many in the NDC and which has the potential to conspire to send the NDC into opposition after the December polls seems to go unhindered.
It is common and acceptable for opposition parties to take-a-dig at a ruling government’s record because that is not the only surest way to keep governments on its toes but also, to ‘prepare’ the grounds for them (opposition) to capture power.
But, when you have leading and influential members of a party in government rubbishing not only the government’s record in office but also condemning a humble, honest and a former great leader like president Mills whiles the whole party listens and watch in awe; then certainly, that party and government is doing a great disservice to the memory of such a leader.
In effect, this will indeed, amount to betrayal at the highest level, and this to The Al-Hajj, is what the NDC seems to be ‘paying’ the late professor Mills after he given his all to the party.
When, for example, we are told ‘if the late and dear president Mills had been a little wiser, he could have lived another six/seven month more; what does that mean and what was the party’s reaction?
We are again told the late president Atta Mills has so desecrated his office, his administration and the NDC to the extent that, they will require ‘special’ spiritual and total cleansing; and everyone in the party goes mum?
The NDC government, particularly, under the late president Mills is being tagged as the most corrupt, this is not by the opposition though: “The corruption that is going on (in the NDC government) is so deep. Some aspects of this corruption are literally holding your national resources to ransom by just a handful of people. I'm not here to poison your minds at all”. And yet, you have members of the NDC party cheering-on, as if to suggest, it is a factual statement?
And when we are finally being told that, it had to take the divinity of God to ‘kill’ president Atta Mills to save the NDC from a ‘stressful and nervous’ situation of losing the December polls, what did we hear, all the NDC does is, to shout yeah, yeah! Eureka-Aafaah! Very sad indeed!
Prior to his death, professor Mills had the unpleasant duty of enduring for many months, unwarrantable, incessant daily barrage of attacks, character assassination and image battery from his arch opponents as well as from within his own party, the NDC; and everyone remained silent.
Today, after sacrificing his life for the good of the NDC and even in death, there is no one to speak for this good man. Anyone who attempts to stand up for this poor soul is cited as a ‘baby with hard teeth, biting and spewing very horrible invectives,’ who should be done away with the dirty water.
The NDC must note that, the party and government can only remain in power by relying on the strong legacies of the late president Mills and no other person, living or dead. And therefore, it is incumbent on the party, that is if they are desirous of continuing in office, to understand that, the party cannot in one breath ride on the Mills’ legacy whiles looking unconcern as the man Mills; is taken to the cleaners. President Mills certainly will not tolerate double-standards.
None of the present NDC members, whether dead or alive, would be happy with such deceitfulness, which consequences can be calamitous. A word to the wise...!